Rawalpindi:
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has given a principled approval to the Rawal Pindi Development Plan, which prioritizes upgrades to the city’s water supply and sewerage systems. Water and Sanitation Agency’s (WASA) CEO has been asked to prepare PC-1s immediately for all proposed schemes.
This Directive was issued during a joint meeting on Monday, led by the Punjab Secretary for Urban Development and Public Health Technology, Noorul Amin Mengal. Officials from Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), WASA, Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and Public Health Engineering participated in the session.
The secretary emphasized the need for rapid monsoon preparations and called on the early conduct of the feasibility study for the purchase of water from Daducha Dam to ensure a sustainable supply to rawalpindi. He suggested building soil storage tanks in parks, after the Lahore model, to store rainwater for horticulture, and emphasized that “every drop of water must be saved.”
The secretary praised WASA for exceeding his revenue recovery target and raised RS2.6 billion against the awarded RS2.3 billion and called for an even higher target in the coming financial year.
WASA CEO, Muhammad Saleem Ashraf, shared that an extensive monsoon plan is already in place, including the accelerated cleaning of 15 city drains and Nullah Leh. Personnel training and maintenance of the sewer line has been completed and five monsoon camps will be operational, supported by a central control room in the WASA headquarters.
To ensure a uninterrupted water supply in the summer, 20 new tube wells are installed and further intake from rawal and khanpur damps has been secured. Continuous dam projects soon add 12 mgd from Chahan Dam, 5 mgd from Rawal Dam and 8 mgd from Khanpur Dam. The possibility of the Daducha dam, which is expected to give 35 mgd, is set to complete within two months.
During the meeting, the RDA General General General provided progress updates on major projects, including Ring Road and the Nullah Leh schemes, which were highlighted for timely and transparent implementation. PHA General, Ahmad Hassan Ranjha, also briefed the participants about Citywide Park Beautification Entreles.
